Beaumont’s public parks are growing beyond playgrounds and walking trails — they’re now bringing fresh food directly to neighborhoods.  

In the past year, the city’s Parks and Greenspace Department has planted fruit trees in areas without easy grocery access, treating orchards as essential as splash pads.  

Pear trees have been carefully chosen for Sprott Park, restoring a piece of the historic Pear Orchard neighborhood’s identity.  

Other sites feature locally meaningful plantings: peaches in Rogers Park, figs in Charlton Pollard, with citrus planned for Klein Park.

This initiative is at the heart of the Parks for All master plan, recently honored with the American Planning Association Texas Chapter’s Gold Award for Advancing Diversity and Social Change.  

These trees are more than landscaping — they unite food access and local history in one thoughtful gesture, reminding Beaumont that every part of the city deserves to be nourished and remembered.

Before 2023, Southeast Texas families facing a child’s cancer diagnosis had no local, dedicated support organization. Roni and Kirk Gillespie recognized this critical gap and founded Go 4 The Bell in Beaumont.

Today, Go 4 The Bell stands as the region’s only 501(c)(3) pediatric cancer nonprofit between New Orleans and Houston. Its mission is clear: provide direct assistance for costs often overlooked by insurance — from gas money for hospital trips to hotel stays and daily essentials that quickly add up for families in crisis.

The name honors the bell children ring at the end of treatment, a moment every family hopes to reach.

The inaugural gala in 2024 raised over $450,000, all dedicated to local families. The third annual event returns to the Beaumont Civic Center on September 19, rallying the community to directly support Southeast Texas families navigating childhood cancer.

Frank Zummo’s journey from Sicily to New Orleans at age 11 shaped a legacy that still nourishes the nation.

By 25, he purchased Beaumont’s city-run slaughterhouse in 1908, launching Zummo Meat Company—an institution that’s endured four generations.

Zummo handled every step, from slaughtering hogs and cattle to delivering fresh beef and sausage to local grocers.

It all began with a young immigrant’s ambition, turning overlooked municipal infrastructure into a pillar of Southeast Texas.

Few family businesses last 24 years—let alone 117. Zummo’s commitment outpaces nearly all, joining Beaumont icons like Broussard’s Mortuary.

The family credits their lasting success to treating employees and the community well, and staying consistent.

Zummo Meat Company and Beaumont are deeply intertwined—a true testament to staying rooted.

Today, Zummo sausage and boudin reach 40 states, still made by the family who never left.